


Lovesick

by cubedcoffeecake



Category: The Arcana (Visual Novel)
Genre: Additional Warnings In Author's Note, Angst, F/M, M/M, Post-Canon
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-05-25
Updated: 2020-05-25
Packaged: 2021-03-03 05:42:29
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,735
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24379663
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/cubedcoffeecake/pseuds/cubedcoffeecake
Summary: A stab of awareness sent him reeling. For all that his heart swelled at the thought of returning to Vesuvia, she did not return his feelings.
Relationships: Lucio/Nadia (The Arcana), Lucio/Valerius (The Arcana)
Comments: 5
Kudos: 14





	Lovesick

**Author's Note:**

> Additional warnings (just related to the not-so-healthy Lucio/Valerius dynamic implied) can be found in the end notes.

When he finally managed to escape the realms of the Arcana, Lucio had thought, for  _ one brief moment _ , that he’d won. He collapsed onto his back and revelled in the sight of familiar stars sprawling across the night. Without the slightest understanding of magic--still, despite expending every effort--he had managed to find a doorway to Vesuvia. He was  _ home _ .

When Lucio woke up again he was being dragged to a barred carriage, the guards’ holds unforgiving.

“Woah woah--hold on a second here! I’m your Count! Unhand me at once--!”

They roughly threw him in and swung the door shut behind him. An unfamiliar feeling sinking in his stomach like a rock and tears prickling at his eyes, he was still staring at the door when the carriage lurched into motion. Lucio fell against the single, rough bench, hitting his head against the edge. As he jerked to his feet he grabbed at the spot and was affronted to find it bleeding enough to slicken the strands of his hair.

A stab of awareness sent him reeling. For all that his heart swelled at the thought of returning to Vesuvia, she did not return his feelings.

_ No _ .

But… the chains of denial had been snapped off his neck. Lucio had taken every chance his entire life to be happy  _ now _ at the cost of his happiness  _ later _ , and it had worked because later could always be pushed off a little further but. The Devil was gone. The courtiers were gone. And honestly, Lucio was tired of it all. He didn’t want another deal. He wanted to curl up by the fire with his dogs and hear Nadia and Jules and Valerius and even  _ Asra _ laughing and normal. He was done with running; he wanted to go home.

He needed to make sure that he still had a home, whatever that took.

The sun had risen high in the sky before Lucio heard the familiar clacking of the carriage’s wheels on the well-maintained palace roads. Slowly he lifted his head from where it had been buried in his hands. The only plan he had been able to create was to beg. All he had to offer was his own cooperation. That should be enough though! Wasn’t that the whole thing? Why they were mad at him? He wouldn’t have given himself another chance, but Nadia was doing the whole “benevolent ruler” thing. It would be fine.

Lucio braced himself as the carriage came to a graceless stop. The door clanged open and he raised a hand to shield his face from the sudden bright light. When he had blinked the sun from his eyes enough to focus on the face approaching the carriage… his heart lifted. Valerius!

With the mid-morning sun lighting him up from behind, the Consul looked ethereal. Lucio had always thought he was too pretty to be true, but the image approaching him was like every memory he had of Valeri naked, sated, and bathed in firelight combined with all the times Lucio had seen his brilliant mind play the court like a chessboard. Every intelligent thought fled from his mind as he blessed the gods for sending him to Lucio’s table.

Caught up in the renewed infatuation of years earlier, Lucio was entirely unprepared for Valeri to walk right up to him and backhand him hard enough to knock him off the bench. Sprawled on the floor, it took him precious long seconds to register the disgust on the Consul’s face.

“Get  _ up _ ,” he sneered. “The Countess has been kind enough to have you sentenced to be held in your old quarters instead of the dungeons. The least you can do is walk on your own damn feet.” Valeri took a long sip from his wineglass as he stared down his nose at Lucio.

“I--of course, yes, I’m getting up. But--where’s Noddy? What do you mean, sentenced….” As he stumbled to his feet it sunk in exactly what Valeri had just told him. He tripped stepping out of the carriage, narrowly avoiding falling onto Valeri.

“Sentenced? Already?” A note of panic creeped into his voice. “But I just got here! She hasn’t seen me yet! I need to talk to her--”

“Talk to her?” Valeri barked out a laugh.

All the times Lucio had smirked as he heard that laugh directed at a particularly stupid courtier… He didn’t like it when it was sent in his direction.

“The Countess has no obligation to you. In her place I wouldn’t have bothered to issue a sentence at all. She’s given you a nice safe tower to stay away from all the townspeople calling for your blood, and that is all you will be receiving from her.” Another long taste of wine and a particularly curtling glare. “Now GET UP.”

Valeri’s cheeks were beginning to flush from his anger. Irrationally, Lucio felt his eyes try to water, and blinked forcefully. He opened his mouth to say something else--anything, to just get Valeri to reconsider, to hear him out, to look at him with the fondly annoyed interest Lucio was used to receiving from the Consul. Before he could manage a sound, though, Valeri was spinning away from him and snapping for the guards.

Once more in a morning, Lucio was being dragged about by his own guards. He quickly regained his own footing and matched their pace, but they didn’t let go when he went to shake them off. Cheeks burning and mouth set in humiliation, he tried and failed to not notice the open stares of palace staff and politicians as their little procession progressed through the main halls.

“You know, there’s actually a portal behind those statues that could take us there in half the time--” One of the guards twisted his arm and he shut up with a yelp.

Lucio’s mind was still spinning in circles, unable to grasp that this was happening. No. No. No, no no nono He was the Count, they had to listen to him, they  _ had to _ \--

He blinked and the guards were throwing him to the floor of his old bedroom. Valeri stood just before him, tapping his foot. The guards retreated, leaving just the two of them. As the footsteps faded entirely Lucio finally pushed himself unsteadily to his feet.

“Well, I don’t know that there’s anything you aren’t familiar with about your own quarters,” Valeri started coolly, “But I have been instructed to warn you that the magicians have found enough of your little tunnels in this wing for you to only be trusted with this suite. There will not be guards stationed at the door, but there is some kind of hocus pocus set up to alert half the castle should you toe the door. If you do not want to be downgraded to a cell, you will stay in this room.

“When the message of your discovery first reached the palace the Countess decreed that only a choice few may be trusted to deal with you.” More wine. “Hence why I am wasting my time telling you this myself. Have you any questions?”

Before Lucio had the chance to articulate any of his many, many questions, Valeri waved an arm and cheerfully declared, “Well then! Off I go. Enjoy the rest of your life. Or don’t.”

As much as Lucio had always enjoyed watching the Consul leave, this was. This was not right. At all. It didn’t sound like he was planning on coming back.

“Valeri, wait!” The degree of panic in his call surprised even Lucio.

Seemingly against his will, the Consul’s steps very slowly drew to a halt. He turned back to look over one shoulder, his expression near dreading.

“Valeri…” Lucio had always been excellent with honeyed words and shit with the important ones. He’d need to go about this differently. Shutting his mouth, he slowly approached Valeri.

“Whatever you want Lucio, just--” Lucio lunged forward and wrapped his arms around Valeri, moving to bury his face in Valeri’s neck to block out the surge of guilt he felt on hearing the wineglass shatter on the ground. For a moment, everything was… okay. Valeri stood stock still and Lucio took in the first full breath he’d taken in what felt like years.

Then it shattered like the glass.

With more strength than Lucio had ever witnessed Valeri exerting he grabbed Lucio’s shoulder and wrenched Lucio away, taking several stumbling steps backward. As Lucio’s ass hit the ground he stared up at Valeri’s face in wonder. There were tears shining in the Consul’s eyes.

“...Valeri?”

“No,” he choked. “No, you don’t get to…”

For several long moments, they just stared at each other. Lucio’s hesitant,  _ nononono _ confusion met a storm of old longing, betrayal, pity, and terror. Finally, the betrayal won out, hardening into something brittle and new.

“How  _ dare you _ ?” He balled up soft hands, shaking them as if he knew how to fight. “No. You took this city and ruined it. You took your own  _ life _ and ruined it. And then you took MY life, and you damn near ruined that too, but I won’t let you!”

“Valeri…”

“Shut up!” Fire flashed in the Consul’s eyes, and his lips bared in a snarl Lucio never wanted to see again. He found himself shifting away.

“You. do. not. get. to call me. that.  _ ever _ . again!” One tear fell, and then another. Another, another. “I let you take pieces of myself I didn’t even know I had until they were gone! I--you--”

He reached up and wiped his face with the sleeve of his robe. Lucio thought for a fleeting second that this kind of quiet strength was a very good look on Valeri. He quickly realized what it meant, though. This was new, and it sounded like the pain that had grown it was inflicted by… him.

_ No _ . It… it couldn’t have. Lucio adored Valeri! He wouldn’t… He didn’t do anything. He didn’t…

“I am a better man than I used to be. Nadia is a better woman. Gods, Julian Devorak isn’t so insufferable anymore. The magician actually shows up to meetings on time. That apprentice is always running about helping with something. The court is passingly competent. But you…”

He swallowed thickly and straightened his posture as Lucio stared on, dumbfounded.

“You haven’t changed.”

Lucio remained silent as Valerius stalked away.

**Author's Note:**

> Additional warnings: Lucio's interactions with Valerius are meant to imply that in the past they had a relationship where Valerius did not set up strong boundaries and Lucio hurt him on some level. In the present Lucio instigates a hug without giving Valerius a chance to back out and Lucio mentally protests that he couldn't have hurt Valerius because he loved him.
> 
> .
> 
> SO this was supposed to be Lucio whump centering on Lucio becoming easily infatuated and lying to himself that because he loves someone/thing (in the case of Vesuvia) he couldn't possibly cause them harm. Instead Valerius waltzed in and made this much longer. I may (especially if there's interest?) write more chapters for this; specifically ones for Julian and Nadia and then a final really sad one. In case I never get around to that though I'm going ahead and posting this. (:
> 
> My first real fic for the Arcana! I hope y'all enjoyed it!! I'm on Tumblr at @cubedlikescookies, if you want to say hi!


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